Against Pain as a Tool in Professional Work on People with Severe Disabilities.

O'Brien, John

This paper examines the ethical question of the use of painful aversive procedures as an intervention with people having severe disabilities and concludes that pain is not an appropriate tool in professional work. It recommends that, when in doubt, professionals avoid causing pain and act, instead, to create the conditions that decrease the occurrence of pain. The deliberate use of pain as a tool is seen to increase the vulnerability of the individual with disabilities. Among the actions recommended for limiting the occurrence of pain are the following--increasing personal knowledge of the individual, recognizing mutual vulnerability, negotiating limits, practicing reconciliation, and developing enduring positive relationships. Includes 23 references. (DB)

Sponsor: Syracuse Univ., NY. Center on Human Policy.; Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Research and Training Center on Community Living.; National Inst. on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (ED/OSERS), Washington, DC.